The Psychopathic God: Adolph Hitler [Paperback]

Robert Waite (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 22, 1993

The Psychopathic God is the definitive psychological portrait of Adolph Hitler. By documenting accounts of his behavior, beliefs, tastes, fears, and compulsions, Robert Waite sheds new light on this complex figure. But Waite’s ultimate aim is to explain how Hitler’s psychopathology changed German—and world—history. With The Psychopathic God we can begin to understand Hitler as never before.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Robert G. L. Waite is Brown Professor of History Emeritus at Williams College. He is the author of Vanguard of Nazism: The Free Corps Movement in Post-War Germany, 1918–1923 and Kaiser and Fuhrer: A Comparative Study of Personality and Politics.

Product Details

• Paperback: 512 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press (March 22, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0306805146
• ISBN-13: 978-0306805141
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #403,936 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #62 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( H ) > Hitler, Adolf

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is an excellent book, October 17, 2001

By 

j.l. reischer (baltimore, md) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Psychopathic God (Paperback)

This is the first and only book that I have read that actualy attempts to understand the mental inner-workings of the greatest political mind in the past hundred years, and through that,understand how he was able to accomlish his goals. Robert Waite's thorough analysis of Hitler's beleifs, personality, mindset, and methods finally explains the inexplicable; how can one man convince an entire country, nay, a continent, to abide by his childish whims and maniacal will, to accomlish what certainly must be considered one of the most horrific, if not the most horrific, acts of all time. The question is a burning one that begs for an answer, and Mr. Waite strives mightily to do just that. Through intense and delicate research, as well as some speculation on his part, he traces Hitler's family origin, the sources of his beliefs, and most importantly, his psyche, and molds them into a very viable theory that is at once enlightening and sickening. This is an excellent book, written by a first class historian. It is without question required reading for any individual that wants to know the "how" of the Holocaust. My only small complaint is that in his immense dislike for his subject, Waite finds it impossible to refrain from sarcasm and showing his disdain at certain points in the reading. I might add, however, that these instances are usually very entertaining.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A convincing picture of the great tyrants distorted mind., September 25, 2000

By 

R. W. Holsbergen - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Psychopathic God: Adolph Hitler (Paperback)

Robert Waite approaches his subject, the distorted mind of Adolf Hitler with all its historic consequences, from two directions. Firstly, he gives a revealing picture of the murky side of German culture that flourished since German unification in 1870: the baleful complex of hyper-nationalism, pan-germanism and anti-semitism. Secondly, he gives a psychiatric analysis of the mind of Adolf Hitler.

Even if the author does not succeed in substantiating every detail of this analysis, much of it is convincing. Particularly elucidating is the suggestion that the reason why Hitler frenetically tried to surpass everyone else in his anti-semitism was that he felt the need to suppress in his own mind the lingering suspicion (unsupportable for many people in Austrian society at that time) that he himself might be partly Jewish (for a quarter of his genes). Waite finds convincing evidence that Adolf Hitler's grandmother, Mrs. Anna Schicklgruber, who later was to marry a certain Mr. Hitler, conceived her son, Alois (Adolf Hitler's father), while she was serving as a maid in the household of a Jewish medical doctor, Mr. Frankenberger, who might have been the father of her child. In fact, Mr. Frankenberger in subsequent years was paying money to Mrs. Schicklgruber. The child was eventually to be "posthumously recognized" by Mrs. Schicklgruber's deceased husband (or rather his brother) and thus got the family name "Hitler". His son Adolf seems to have been aware of this part of the family history.

This is a very useful book for those wanting to acquire a deeper understanding of the mind that was to a large degree responsible for the monstruous derailment of German history in the period 1933-1945.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Freudian speak, February 24, 2006

By 

David Romero "Fat City Fan" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Psychopathic God: Adolph Hitler (Paperback)

Everything Candace scott said in her review reflects my sentiments precisely. Hence, I will not add anything save that, in addition to reading John Toland, one might also explore Alan Bullock, both of whom will give you a much more intelligible and studied read of Hitler, the man who would be god.